I thought I’d use this issue of the newsletter to highlight the school’s Communication Technology track, one of three exciting undergrad specializations we offer to students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Communication.
A communication technology specialization gives students the opportunity to grapple with some of the most riveting questions of our times: How are communication technologies shaping society? What implications do they have for our health? What do we know about the influence of video games? What can we learn by studying the social networks that emerge via Facebook or TikTok?
Our students also grapple with communication technology from a design perspective, focusing on what makes for good UX, or user experience. Employing original data, they explore how designers can improve the look and feel of technologies. And they learn about the underlying principles behind diverse forms of communication infrastructure, from radio and texting to YouTube and iPhones. The topic of UX generates so much enthusiasm that students in the school—working with faculty advisor Dr. Nic Matthews—recently created the User Experience Club at Ohio State.
UX has also become an increasingly popular career path, and our alumni are out there enhancing user experiences at leading companies like MathWorks, JP Morgan Chase and IBM.
Alumni are putting their specialization in communication technology to work in a range of other ways as well. For example, Thomas Krisak found that the specialization not only helped him understand new technologies, but taught him to communicate about them effectively. He used that ability, honed in a social media analytics course, to land an internship at Infegy, producing “Insight Briefs” that help industry professionals make the most of analytic data. Others have likewise capitalized on the ability to serve as tech “interpreters,” landing positions in companies like Cisco, IBM, Lenovo and even Nike.
Some students use what they learn in ways we might not have predicted. For example, after working as a research assistant with Dr. Teresa Lynch, Sophia Reeder decided to combine UX research with visual arts and pursue an MFA. Her work was recently featured in the Mad Royal Film Society’s Film Festival hosted at the Wexner Center for the Arts.
Other students are focused on research. For instance, as a senior in college Lingxin Zhang coauthored a paper with Dr. Roselyn Lee-Won that explores how social media fatigue—the exhaustion, frustration and burnout so often associated with the use of this technology—can influence people’s physical wellbeing. Next year Lingxin will be pursuing a master’s degree in digital social media at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.
Thanks to the generosity of alumni like you, the School of Communication provides scholarships to help students forge their own paths in communication technology. For example, with the support of the 2023 Ann Mack Scholarship, Makiya Jenkins is pursuing her goal of blending UX and market research.
Across the board, exciting things are afoot. As always, please keep in touch and let us know where your education has taken you!
Kelly Garrett
Director, School of Communication
